Mariano Salvador Maella Facts for Kids

Mariano Maella's self-portrait from the early 1760s.

Mariano Salvador Maella Pérez (born August 21, 1739 – died May 10, 1819) was a famous Spanish painter. He was best known for painting people's faces (portraits) and large religious paintings on walls or ceilings (frescoes). In 1774, he became a special painter for King Charles IV of Spain.

Maella's Life and Art
Selected Paintings
See also

Maella's Life and Art

Early Life and Training

Mariano Maella was born in Valencia, Spain. He started learning about art from his father, who was also a painter. When he was eleven years old, in 1752, he moved to Madrid.

In Madrid, he took lessons from Felipe de Castro. Castro was a sculptor who helped bring a new art style called Neoclassical to Spain. This style used ideas from ancient Greek and Roman art. After this, Maella joined the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. There, he impressed Antonio González Velázquez, a well-known artist. Maella later married Velázquez's daughter.

Studying in Rome and Return to Spain

In 1757, Maella won three art prizes from the Academia. With this money and help from his family, he was able to travel to Rome, Italy, to study art. He stayed there for several years, learning from the great masters.

He came back to Spain in 1765. He then helped work on the Palacio Real de Madrid, which is the Royal Palace in Madrid. He worked under the direction of Anton Raphael Mengs, another very important painter. Mengs had a big influence on Maella's painting style. In 1772, Maella also drew pictures for a new book by the writer Francisco de Quevedo.

Becoming a Court Painter

Maella's career really took off when he became a court painter in 1774. This meant he worked directly for the King and the Royal Family. He became very famous for his portraits. He painted not only at the Royal Palace in Madrid but also at other royal homes. These included La Granja de San Ildefonso, the Palacio de El Pardo, and the Palacio de El Escorial.

Maella also worked on many other projects. He helped fix old paintings by Juan de Borgoña at the Cathedral of Toledo. He painted frescoes at Burgo de Osma Cathedral. He also designed pictures for the Royal Tapestry Factory. At the factory, he even helped supervise new artists. From 1795 to 1798, he was the Director General of the Academia, which is a very important position.

Later Years and Challenges

In 1799, Maella and Francisco Goya were both named as the main court painters. Maella then started to help restore several royal buildings.

However, things changed when King Carlos IV lost his throne in 1808. A new French government took over, led by King José I. Maella decided to support the new king. This decision later caused problems for him.

When King Fernando VII came back to power, Maella was accused of supporting the French. He was removed from his job as court painter. He had to retire with only a small part of his salary. One of his own students, Vicente López Portaña, took his place. Mariano Maella died in Madrid at the age of 79.